Young Professionals for International Cooperation Boston

2010 YPIC Annual Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:40:00 +0000

Tuesday, August 10
6:00pm
Bocoup Loft, 319 A Street 2nd Floor, South Boston
5 minute walk from South Station
Pizza will be provided!
RSVP to ypic@unagb.org

Join the YPIC Leadership Committee for a review of the past year's programs and a discussion of upcoming events -- hear how you can get involved with the committee, planning events, or working on a newsletter! All are welcome, and pizza will be provided.

Directions: Walk towards to back of the building (at corner of Congress and A Street), through the door and take the old school industrial elevator to the second floor.

Spring Fair Trade Panel YPIC and Fair Trade Boston welcomed the community to learn about how businesses local to the Boston area have implemented fair trade procurement practices into how they define their business. YPIC hosted two small local clothing companies and some local proponents of the Boston fair trade network to provide a number of perspectives into how we all benefit from the goals of fair trade.

Holiday Fete
This winter celebration was cosponsored by YPIC and hosted by Boston International. This social featured live jazz and dancing to raise money for local non-profits.

Fall Environmental Forum
YPIC welcomed local experts in the fields of environmental science, and innovation to foster a discussion about the state of world environmental affairs leading into the world meeting in Copenhagen . Our interactive discussion concluded with a detailed assessment of how each of us can actively participate in the movement.

Summer Art Show
YPIC presented an Evening of International Art and Wine, at which the works of domestic and international artists were displayed on canvas in the foyer of the Hult International Business School in Cambridge. The evening was highlighted by presentations by many of the artists with art on display, during which we were able to learn about the many influences which motivated their works.

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:48:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:44:00 +0000

Why you should buy a ticket to Friday's Consuls Ball...

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:55:00 +0000

I asked some of my fellow YPIC board members to tell me why they loved last year's ball, and here's what they said:

"It was a good time. It's usually a pretty nice night to be out in Boston, and it was fun to meet so many interesting people. The highlight of my evening though was the band. I remember all of us at the end of the night talking with them to try to convince them to play on, since we were having such a good time dancing."
-Austin W.

“I’ve never danced with so many diplomats! It was a great event!“
-Nate T.

"I love the opportunity to participate in an event that I otherwise could not have attended! I'm so glad that UNAGB invites young professionals to attend the dessert and dancing portion. Chatting with the diplomats was incredibly interesting. I'm looking forward to this year!"
-Alessandra C.

We hope this is convincing! See you there.

YPIC's Dessert and Dancing at UNA-GB's Consuls Ball

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Please join the Young Professionals for International Cooperation (YPIC) for an evening of Dessert and Dancing at UNA-GB's annual Consuls Ball.

We are delighted to invite you to this wonderful evening. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased here.

Also, we invite you to continue the evening with us following the ball at M Bar on Boylston Street, which is located at the Mandarin Oriental.

Boston International’s Second Annual Holiday Fete — Thursday, December 10

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:57:00 +0000

The YPIC team is sponsoring an event organized by the Boston International group, and we are excited to begin the Holiday season with a social event where we can all gather and discuss the year's events. We are all hoping that there will be dancing involved.

Here is from the Boston International website:

You and your friends are cordially invited to the second annual Boston International Holiday Fete! This year, we are taking over the two floors of Boston’s elegant Old State House. Mingle with other young professionals, graduate students, and diplomats as you enjoy an open bar featuring champagne & cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the historic spot that once housed figures such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

A live jazz performance will complete the festive atmosphere.

Last year’s Fete attracted a sellout crowd of over 200 members — for pictures and more, click here.

Logistics
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Old State House
Corner of State St. and Washington St., Boston

$49 per person includes open bar with champagne & cocktails and hors d’oeuvres

Cocktail attire requested

2009 UN Environmental Forum - Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:19:00 +0000

It was a timely conversation for the topics discussed, and a welcome one at that for the young people of Boston judging by the eagerness of the participants. The many complicated matters affecting the environments on earth aren't felt tangibly enough if we were to use the amount of action and the level of priority given to speedy and efficient advancement of green initiatives around the world.

On October 24, 2009, the Young Professionals for International Cooperation (YPIC), a volunteer arm of the United Nations Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB), held an event to raise the awareness within the community of environmental goals, and barriers to change around the world. The forum titled "Is Green a Mirage?, Growing Global Environmental Policy", brought together a classroom of young professionals and students from around the Boston area to discuss the varying perspectives of the many issues at play. The forum was paneled by a diverse pair of local experts Dr. Hitendra Patel, and Dr. Anamarija Frankic. Dr. Hitendra Patel is the Founder and Managing Director of the IXL Center, and a Professor of innovation and strategy at Hult International Business School, where the forum was hosted. Dr. Anamarija Frankic is a Professor of Environmental Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and a vibrant local voice for action.

The forum began by framing the history of global discussions, and environmental hot topics like climate change, clean water, and waste management. This YPIC event was scoped to begin at a high level in order to ensure that participants well versed, and those less familiar with the subject matter were brought to a level of understanding which would allow everyone to add a perspective. The real benefit of this event was derived from the diversity of perspectives which contributed to the discussion. From PhD students in the field of environmental science, to accountants, all perspectives contributed to the discussion. The forum went on to distill a listing of action items to be implemented by each of the participants in their local neighborhoods. The Boston YPIC team plans to track the progress of these action items over the next year.

2009 UN Environmental Forum

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:20:00 +0000

The 2009 New England YPIC Forum titled Is Green a Mirage? Growing Global Environmental Policy will discuss the impact of global environmental programs on our communities, governments, and international relations. The event is to be held at Hult International Business School on the morning of October 24th. Local experts from an array of perspectives gather to facilitate a discussion with each other and with the community about what our world will look like as we unwind the areas of culture, business, and politics which have led us to close proximity to dangerous possibilities. The forum will touch many of the topics that will be addressed later this year in Copenhagen, with hopes to promote awareness of current issues in the New England community. All are welcome, but space is limited on a first come first serve basis.

Persepolis film screening and discussion of Iranian human rights

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Sunday, Sep. 6
5:00pm Film Screening, followed by discussion
MIT, building 56, room 114

Please join Boston's Young Professionals for International Cooperation at MIT for a screening of the award-winning film Persepolis, and discussion with members of the Boston Iranian Coaltion (BIC).

The film will be begin promptly at 5pm, followed by an open Q/A and discussion moderated by Dr. Ali Taalebinezhaad (Shirin Center, MIT). The "Iranian Human Rights Forum" is held on the FIRST Sunday of every month at 5pm at MIT. For updates and details, please visit the B.I.C. Event Page on Facebook.

The event is open to the public and is free of charge. Hope to see you there!

Global Voices Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:24:00 +0000

This October, the UN Association of Greater Boston brings you the 8th annual Global Voices Film Festival, which screens powerful international documentaries and provides a forum to discuss international issues and concerns. The festival, presented in conjunction with the Harvard Kennedy School New England Alumni Association, will be held from October 8-11 in Harvard Square.

Global Voices will have multiple thematic sessions, with each session comprised of a documentary screening and an associated event to place the topic in a broader context. We invite you and your students to join us for dialogue on our themes in focus: Human Rights/Cultural Heritage, Women’s Advocacy, Global Health, Environment, and War & Peace. Please review film descriptions here.

The cost of attending the film festival is only $6 per person-- we offer a reduced rate of $5 if you bring at least 10 people. Feel free to contact us for additional information at (617) 482-4587 or lunangst@unagb.org. We hope to see you this fall!

UNICEF and The Killers

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Please check out this new video, a joint project of UNICEF and The Killers:

Goodnight, Travel Well

UNICEF: Starting today, MTV audiences around the world will see a new music video that aims to raise awareness about sex trafficking. Featuring the rock band The Killers, the video is an exclusive collaboration between UNICEF, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and the US Agency for International Development.

The track, Goodnight, Travel Well, is from the album Day & Age. The video is the second in a series of music video collaborations that highlight the danger and impact of human trafficking.

The series launched last year with an award-winning film - produced by MTV EXIT that featured the Radiohead single All I Need.

"We are deeply shocked and appalled that women and children are forced into such exploitative situations, said a spokesperson for The Killers. We hope that through MTV's efforts, and this powerful video, millions of people across the world learn about this tragic form of modern-day slavery."

The video for Goodnight, Travel Well has the potential to reach more than 500 million households in 168 countries.

There is almost no country in the world now that isnt affected by human trafficking in some way, said UNICEF Chief of Child Protection Susan Bissell. The statistics are staggering. More than 1.2 million children are being trafficked each year and nearly 80 per cent of all trafficking is for sexual exploitation, and the most at risk are girls.

We see this music video as a powerful way to reach out and raise awareness among young people, across borders and across language barriers, she added.

The Goodnight, Travel Well video was directed by film and music video veteran David Slade, in collaboration with the renowned production company Anonymous Content. The creative concept was developed by the Australian advertising agency CRC, with support from the UK music consultancy Huge Music.

The video provides insight into the realities of trafficking, with a particular focus on the trafficking of children and adolescents into forced prostitution.

Join Us For An Evening of International Art and Wine!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:44:00 +0000

An Evening of International Art and Wine

Thursday, July 16
6:30-9:30pm
Hult International Business School
1 Education Street, Cambridge
$5 suggested donation
RSVP to ypic@unagb.org

Please join YPIC for art, music, culture at our international wine and art event!

We will display the works of domestic and international artists and will feature wines from the represented countries. Many of the artists will be on hand to discuss their art and the culture their art represents! 10% of all sold works will be donated to the Obala Foundation.

The Hult Business School is located in the EF Building, between the Science Park and Lechmere green line stations.

Call for Entries to International Art Night in July!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:10:00 +0000

Title: An Evening of International Art and Wine

July 16 6:30-8:30PM

Venue: Hult International Business School

Eligibility: The Young Professionals for International Cooperation part of the United Nations Association of Greater Boston invite artists, musicians and cultural institutions to exhibit their art and culture during our international wine and art event to take place from 6:30-8:30 on July 16^th at the Hult International Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. YPIC is open to exhibiting any and all types of art but will show preference to international artists from wine producing countries. Painters, photographers, ceramists, dancers, musicians and more are invited to participate.

Fees: None

Commission: 10% of Sold Work donated to charity

Contact: Nathaniel Tassinari, nathaniel.tassinari@gmail.com

Join us for a Taste of Germany, coming up Wednesday July 1st at 6:30pm!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Please join Boston's Young Professionals for International Cooperation for a German dinner at the Jacob Wirth Restaurant. Be prepared for a great night of German fare, discussion, and fun!

The Menu:
1st Course: Potato Pancake with cinnamon sour cream and fire roasted apples
2nd Course: Weiner Schnitzel with dill spaetzle and lemon butter sauce
3rd Course: Choice of Wurst served with German Potato Salad and Sauerkraut
4th Course: German Chocolate Cake

$25 special for four courses, excluding tip or taxes

RSVPs are required, space is limited.

See you there!

Young Professionals for International Cooperation -Boston

Jacob Wirth Restaurant
31-37 Stuart Street
Boston, MA Theater District

Become a Fan on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Check out our brand new Facebook page and become a fan!

Our new integrated interface streams the latest news, events, and updates straight to you.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Young-Professionals-for-International-Cooperation-Boston/81430535834?ref=ts .

Hear UNA-USA President Tom Miller speak & more!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:03:00 +0000

On Thursday, June 18th the United Nations Association of Greater Boston will hold their Annual Meeting and all YPIC members are invited to attend. The event will feature Ambassador Tom Miller, new president and CEO of UNA-USA as the speaker. It will be held from 4:30-6:30pm, at Suffolk University Law School. Contact info@unagb.org for more information.

Also, the national conference day for Young Professionals for International Cooperation will take place in Washington D.C. on the weekend of June 12th - 14th. Our very own Dan Sullivan (YPIC Boston Chair) and Lisa Unangst (UNA-GB) are planning to make the trek to our nation's capital. If you are interested in joining, please email Dan at dansullymass2002@yahoo.com.

Psst... We also have Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:41:00 +0000

YPIC Dazzles at the UN Consuls Ball

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:59:00 +0000

The Young Professionals for International Cooperation hit the Fairmont Copley dressed in their finest for the UNA-GB Consuls Ball, April 17th. About 40 of our YPIC members were in attendance and showed up to enjoy Dessert & Dancing alongside Boston's consular corps. Consul Generals from various countries took the time to meet and speak one on one with our group of young professionals. Thanks to everyone who came and made this event a spectacular success!

Proceeds from the ball went to support the United Nations Association's Global Education programs in area classrooms. The ball helped make possible this past weekend's regional Model UN Conference, which took place May 15-16th and drew high school students from around New England. Learn more about Global Classrooms at www.unagb.org/global_classrooms/gc_main.cfm.

Spring is here, and the world awaits!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:14:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Spring is here and now is the time. Join us next week for our:

YPIC ANNUAL SPRING MEETING
Monday, May 18th @ 6:30 PM
United Nations Association HQ
44-46 Temple Pl, 5 fl, Boston

Enjoy free pizza along with great company. We will be talking about the coming year and new ways to get involved. We welcome your input, participation, and ideas as we plan events for the summer, fall and beyond.

Come make your mark on Boston and the world. Please RSVP so we can make sure to have enough pizza for everyone. Questions? Email Chrissy at chrissa@post.harvard.edu or Dan at dansullymass2002@yahoo.com.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you all there!

Your friends for international cooperation,

~YPIC

Loved the Taste of Poland dinner? Get connected with Polish news!

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:49:00 +0000

Below we have attached a link to subscribed to the New Poland Express. Here you can get into what's going on in Poland!

New Poland Express

We hope you enjoyed the Taste of Poland dinner and would love feedback!

World AIDS Day

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:10:00 +0000

People across the world are coming together today, December 1st, to commemorate World AIDS Day. Take a moment to remember all those who have been lost to the epidemic and support the individual who continue to be affected by the disease.

Several local restaurants are having drink specials throughout December (AIDS Awareness Month) to help raise funds and awareness. Visit these establishments and ask about their World AIDS Day Drink Special and enjoy a tasty treat for a good cause.

Excelsior - 272 Boylston Street Boston
OM Restaurant - 92 Winthrop Street Cambridge
Harvest - 44 Brattle Street Cambridge
Toro - 1704 Washington Street Boston

Click here for a listing of World AIDS Day events.

Recap from the Conference

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

The conference on Innovative Citizenship which we held at Suffolk Law School on October 18, 2008 was successful in bringing people from the New England community together to discuss, learn, and network. Throughout the day, a group of approximately 60 gathered to listen to each other’s concerns about the issues facing our community, issues directly concerning other communities, and how today’s array of technology can be useful in enabling almost anyone to connect with our neighboring communities, while also redefining the term neighboring to include all other communities of the world into each other’s scope. The advancement of technology in all fields of study have made it easier for any person to act in support of their own ideas, if they so chose, in a number of ways. Technology has advanced and continues to advance so that right now, there are many unimplemented solutions, which in many cases only need to be supported by time, hard work, and thoughtfulness to be realized in the affected communities. Internet, computer and other technologies have made it possible to create an infrastructure to organize around an idea, and move to enable solutions. The conference organized and presented information about how to move from idea to action.

The conference began with a few opening words from Daniel Sullivan, YPIC chair, which gave some background and some context to the day. He thanked our sponsors, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and Suffolk Law School, and acknowledged all of the hard work and assistance provided by the UNAGB and especially, Lisa Unangst, Program Manager.
Dan then introduced Harris and Svetlana Sussman, and the first presentation of the day.

The Sussmans provided an engaging and dynamic presentation of the work they do to improve the quality of life for the blind community in Russia. Their presentation demonstrated how they are using technology to assist them in their efforts, and how technology is especially important to their cause. Advances in computer and internet technology have made it possible for people around the world with sense limitations to communicate over the internet. Walking cane technology has increased the quality of day to day life for the blind, and the Sussmans founded the M.N. Adamov Memorial Fund to help make these technologies available to the blind community in Russia. We discussed the administrative, governmental, and social obstacles that they are up against when trying to achieve their goals, and how these obstacles make their focus on the Russian blind community an especially worthy cause. For more information about the Sussmans, and the M.N. Adamov Memorial Fund, please visit http://mnadamovfund.org/mnaf/index.html. The Sussmans provided an inspirational example of taking a cause from idea to organization based on something that was close to them.

The second presentation of the day was by Gradon Tripp and Rebecca Corliss of Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC.com). They discussed the effect that online social networking applications are having on the way organizations reach their audiences. They discussed how several of these applications work in detail such as Twitter, and Facebook, and showed how they use these to advance their goals. The increasing availability of the internet around the world and the increasing role of the internet as a resource and organizational tool have made it an effective tool in spreading information, and creating relationships. Gradon and Rebecca provided important information, which enabled all participants to take action using the free or and inexpensive tools that anyone with internet access has at their fingertips twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. They demonstrated how easy it is by creating a YPIC Twitter account in minutes as part of their presentation. Check YPICboston out on Twitter.com.

For more information about Gradon, Rebecca, and SM4SC.com see: http://www.sm4sc.com/

YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD WITH THE TOOLS YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW
The social media world has proven that, though still a young and small community within a multitude of industries, we have the power to exact great change.
Social media has broken down walls and created conversations. IBM does product testing in Second Life. Old college classmates reunite on Facebook. Zappos does intra-office communication via Twitter. All great, paradigm shifting events.” - SM4SC.com
The third presentation was by Olanrewaju Soremekun from the Obala Foundation. The Obala Foundation was organized to help the growing infrastructure improvements in Nigeria operate efficiently in order to maximize the benefit to the people. Their presentation gave information about the issues in Nigeria and how they identified the causes and then the solutions. They focus especially on healthcare infrastructure and distribution, and funding needs. The Obala Foundation is run out of Boston and demonstrates the ability for anyone to reach across the world. They demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of a well researched and though out approach. They were an inspiring example. For more information about the Obala Foundation, please visit their website and blog at:
http://obalafoundation.org/obala_demo/blog.html

After lunch, the conference continued with Dr. Clark Abt, who discussed his first hand experiences with social change and what the greater influences of change have been across his life. He discussed what drew him down the various array of paths that he has experienced, which provided additional perspective to the times we are living in today. His long view showed the value of reflection on goals from different perspectives. Dr. Abt was able to tie together all of the themes which were presented throughout the day.

The group switched gears after all of the presentations, and formed a panel of YPIC board members Alessandra Cappelino, and Austin Watroba, UNAGB program manager Lisa Unangst, Dr. Abt, and Abbey Tiderman, Social Media professional. The panel was mediated by Daniel Sullivan, who led the discussion to first address the purpose of the conference, and the thought processes which led to the theme and structure of the day. The panel also discussed what the next steps would be in the way of innovation for social change. The group concluded that there is an increasing wave of online action, which appears to be what will drive much of the efforts going forward, however there is great importance in maintaining a physical contact with those we are working with to ensure that we realize all of the benefits of interaction.

About YPIC and some additional perspective into the bigger picture:

The conference addressed several of our specific higher level goals, including increased understanding of the diversity of cultures and world issues, increase of thoughtful big picture dialogue amongst our young people, and enabling anyone who has the will, to find a course of action which means something to them.

The goals above fit into the beginning stages of a larger methodology. This larger methodology is driven by two critical theories. These theories are supportable by logic and/or psychology, and sociology. We do however welcome criticism of any part of our methodology where flaws should be highlighted, because none of us claim to be experts in the area. The first theory is what drives understanding to be the primary focus, and central theme of our solution by directly linking understanding and rational decision making, and therefore making it the first step in the creation of compassion. The second theory defines our world society as an accumulation of individuals, and focuses on the profound effects each of us individually have on the rest of the world. It is too often that people come to the conclusion that they couldn’t cause any effect that permeates the world, but this is a dangerous and flawed conclusion, because of the concept of emotional contagion, which is eventually exponential.

We concur with some that one of the of the causes of many of the issues that our younger community faces today is the deficiency of care and understanding of many about the facts of each of the many other cultures of the world and social issues we all face. Our first endeavor will be to promote spending some time to move to understand. Understand things one at a time, and we hope that people will realize that their opinions will change. It is everyone’s responsibility to think critically about their views and move to gradually understand their place in the world. Each of our aggregate opinions is presented to the world subtly, but no less powerfully, in every interaction we have with others. The more misconception that exist in the framework which we each have to support our opinions, the less we will understand the truths of what causes our world to look as it does, bad or good, and the more frustrating we will be to others. The most important result of understanding is compassion. When we make decisions, and interact with others with a perspective which cultivates compassion, it is our opinion that we will be making better decisions. We hope that this will also get more young people out to vote in all elections, and to understand the issues such that their vote is well thought out.

Our plan is to promote these ideas through the following:

• Help to organize information specific to particular causes so that anyone interested can understand the issue easier.
• Hold social events and speak with people to get them interested in the world community and social issues.
• Take on issues in the community to help act the solutions.

A detailed listing of YPIC Events are listed on UNA-GB's main calendar.

Conference Location and Ticketing

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:39:00 +0000

YPIC Conference on Innovative Citizenship: Utilizing Technology for Social Change

Suffolk University Law School
120 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02111
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Click to purchase tickets

Taking Engagement to the Next Level

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:10:00 +0000

We are excited to focus on the use of technology to enhance global interaction at the 2008 New England YPIC conference. This year, we aim to center our discussions around improving communication and education on a global scale. Many global issues are rooted in misunderstanding, misinformation, and lack of education. YPIC is a grassroots style organization that gathers young professionals to discuss global issues--using logic and collaboration we can help to improve channels of communication and better the education of individuals within our communities. Today, technology and the internet have made information more accessible than ever. The accessibility and ease of blogs make them a good medium of communication, and efforts of local citizens like those at One Laptop Per Child are quickening the advancement of these technologies around the world. At our conference, we hope to highlight this power that our citizenry can access through new media. We have gathered an array of local charitable organizations to discuss their goals and experiences, and will provide detailed technical instructions regarding how to utilize today's technologies so that all participants will leave inspired and confident.

These issues are very important to us, and we hope that you find yourself interested as well.

Visit YPIC's homepage for more info!

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (YPIC Boston) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:24:00 +0000

On behalf of the YPIC board, I would like to express my excitement for initiating discussion of global issues through blogging. In an age of new media, this is a perfect way for members to get involved in a simple format.

I strongly encourage comments on posts, but also submissions and/or suggestions for posts and future YPIC initiatives. With member participation, this blog can highlight the issues that the Boston community finds important in the international arena. I also look forward to hearing your ideas on how to better the YPIC member experience.

We are delighted to welcome you, and look forward to using this blog as a resource to engage in the exchange of ideas regarding global issues.

-Alessandra Cappellino, YPIC Social Director